Want my name on the honours board at Lord's again: Mohammad Amir
Last updated on Saturday, 18 June, 2016, 02:22 PM
Amir opined his predicament should serve as deterrent for all prospective offenders. © Getty
Mohammad Amir, the Pakistan pacer, has called himself "seriously lucky" for getting back to the Test circuit, six years after the infamous 2010 spot-fixing scandal that saw him receive a jail term and a five-year ban. The left-arm seamer returns to Lord's, the scene of his implication for bowling deliberate no-balls, where Pakistan take on England in the first of four Test matches, starting July 14. Amir, who served his ban and returned to international cricket in January, will don the white flannels for Pakistan for the first time since the incident, that threatened to end his career at the age of 18.
"To be honest I never thought about my comeback and I feel seriously lucky to be back to play Test cricket again," Amir was quoted saying on AFP on Saturday (June 18). "I was all excited for Test cricket because that is where my career was held back. You call it a coincidence or whatever but for me it's a blessing that I am restarting (Tests) right at Lord's from where I stopped in 2010.
"I may have registered my comeback months ago but Test cricket is actual cricket, and playing it again was what I was looking forward to, which makes it my real comeback," said Amir. "I won't say that I have forgotten my past and those incidents won't come back to haunt me, but I am looking at it positively as I want to replace the past with a better future.
The 24-year-old seamer, however, concurred with England captain Alastair Cook's comments that match-fixers should be banned for life. Amir opined his predicament should serve as deterrent for all prospective offenders. "If fixing is still happening then it's really alarming. I fully agree that fixers should be banned for life," he said.
Since his return to competitive cricket, Amir has been successfully integrated back into the national set-up. The left-armer, through his performances in New Zealand and at the Asia Cup in Bangladesh, demonstrated that he'd lost none of the qualities - pace and swing - that made him one of the most exciting fast-bowling prospects in world cricket. The youngster said his experiences had made him a stronger person and that he would be ready for the inevitable banter from England fans.
"My memory still holds those moments from 2010 but I want to perform well, want to get my name on the honours board at Lord's once again," said Amir, whose haul of 6 for 84 in the tainted Test of 2010, features on the honours board, where outstanding play is chronicled.
"Crowds in general get nasty sometimes but you are professional only if you handle any kind of situation wisely. It is my duty to be focused on the game. I went through tough times which actually taught me a lot of good lessons and now I am much stronger than before. I have got enough in my life to stand strong."
Pakistan will also play five One-Day Internationals and a Twenty20 International, apart from the four Test matches, on the tour.
© Cricbuzz
